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Study a Verse
Pick any verse to see what it means and how to use it in your life.
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is · Text 2.23
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ॥ २३ ॥
nainaṁ chindanti śastrāṇi
nainaṁ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cainaṁ kledayanty āpo
na śoṣayati mārutaḥ
The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioWhat this verse is saying, and where it sits in the story.
3 study points
No weapon can cut the soul, nor can fire burn it, water moisten it, or wind dry it.
Individual souls are eternal parts of the Supreme Soul; they were never cut from Him.
Even when freed from illusion, each soul keeps its separate identity and does not become one with Kṛṣṇa.
These notes cover verses 2.23–25
Mentions more qualities of the soul
These verses reiterate a principle Krishna has already established. Generally repetition is considered proper in Sanskrit literature only when used for emphasis. Krishna thus repeats Himself to remove all doubts about the soul’s eternality
There is no death for the soul. The body can never be saved
Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The spiritual concepts this verse connects to.
Key ideas: ātmā, jñāna.
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
What does BG 2.23 establish in Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport, and how does it connect to soul & knowledge?
Spend five minutes reflecting on what in you does not change.
Keep going: verses that carry this teaching further.
Study notes are editorial summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport.